Potential in-country placement sites:

Singida Regional Hospital

• Staff at site: 5 Medical Officers, 11 Assistant Medical Officers, 9 Clinical Officers and nurses
• District hospitals: Manyoni, Kiomboi, and Singida Rural
• All district hospitals send specimens to regional hospital for CD4 counts
• The hospital infrastructure is in good condition with adequate space for the HIV Care and Treatment Center
• The Regional Medical Officer administers the HIV Care and Treatment Center
• Staff includes Clinical Officers and nursing staff taking care of more than 300 clients; nursing staff is generally responsible for client education

Shinyanga Regional Hospital

• Staff at site: 2 Medical Officers, 14 Assistant Medical Officers, 8 Clinical Officers and 27 nursing officers, 52 nurses, 1 pharmacist, and 1 lab technician
• Shinyanga Region has three district hospitals: Kahama, Bariadi, and Bukombe
• All district hospitals send specimens to regional hospital for CD4 counts
• Approximately 350 clients are currently on ARVs
• The hospital infrastructure is in good condition with adequate space for the HIV Care and Treatment Center
• The Regional Medical Officer administers the HIV Care and Treatment Center
• Staff includes Clinical Officers and nursing staff taking care of more than 300 clients; nursing staff is generally responsible for client education

Volunteer assignment:

The Dietician will work in conjunction with the local nurses and other staff responsible for client education to assess the local foods available and develop dietary guidelines to be taught to new patients. The dietician will work with the nurses and other staff to help in finding diet-related remedies to medication side effects—many of which are gastro-intestinal in nature.

Length of the assignment:
3 months minimum, assuming a full-time work schedule

Name and title of supervisor: Matron in Charge of HIV Care and Treatment Center

Name and title of counterpart: Nurse educators

• Licensed Dietician or Nurse specializing in nutrition
• Minimum of 2 years experience working on health education/health promotion programs with a focus on HIV/AIDS treatment
• Thorough knowledge of HIV/AIDS treatment nutrition
• Experience developing and implementing HIV/AIDS patient education programs
• Knowledge of HIV/AIDS as it relates to nutrition and sanitation
• Ability to develop nutritional guidelines using locally available foods
• Good written and oral communication skills and fluency in English
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to develop cooperative working relationships with diverse professionals
• Ability to collaborate and work effectively with various program/project implementation partners and officials of governmental and nongovernmental organizations

• Ability to work independently with strong leadership skills
• Knowledge of the host country’s health system and culture
• Previous experience working in a low-resource setting
• Working knowledge of Kiswahili

The objective of the Dietician/Nutritionist is to strengthen the capacity of the hospital to provide nutritional counseling and services to ARV patients.

Volunteer responsibilities: 

• Learn about the local food supply and typical diet
• Develop a set of guidelines whereby the counseling staff can assist clients in choosing a diet compatible with their treatment regimen
• Implement a patient nutrition education program for new ARV clinic patients
• Provide ongoing training and support to clinic staff regarding dietary control of symptoms and side effects
• Share this information with district hospitals as needed in 1-2 week assignments

Deliverables 

• Organizational assessment of the placement hospital/center
• Assessment of the knowledge level of staff regarding nutrition
• Assessment of local food supply and dietary habits
• Guidelines for patient nutrition, taking local food supply and dietary habits into consideration
• Plan for improved patient education program and timeline for implementation
• Regular reports documenting progress toward objectives in action plan, and documentation of training, consultation, and mentorship provided
• Final report

• Complete the scope of work in the timeframe outlined
• Complete Twinning Center’s assessment and monthly monitoring and evaluation reports
• Submit a post-assignment final report and participate in an exit interview
• Adhere to the AIHA Volunteer Standards of Conduct 

• Provide resources necessary for volunteer to carry out assignment successfully
• Identify a placement site for the volunteer to ensure sustainability of volunteer activities
• Submit performance assessment reports on the volunteer to the Twinning Center

AIHA Twinning Center:

• Conduct pre-assignment orientation and training for volunteer and placement site staff
• Provide volunteer with safe housing, monthly living allowance, medical evacuation coverage, and travel-related costs to and from placement site
• Provide ongoing support of volunteer as needed